[TATW] The Kingdom restored! (A Gondor AAR) Dead. Please Close
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Hi this is my second AAR (my first having died after a lost save). I have always had trouble with Gondor so feel free to give suggestions on my gameplay* as well as on my writing, but often I am ahead of the AAR so some suggestions may not be able to be used. And so it begins...
* I have actually now gotten too far for tips in the gameplay to be of use. I am at turn 52 right now, and a lot has happened in those turns I haven't covered yet.
Characters
Steward Denethor II: The ruling Steward of Gondor. He is wise, noble, and kingly, and a great ruler and a fine warrior despite his age. He is also the greatest commander of Gondor during the time of the War of the Ring, and has won great victories few others are capable of. He also reconquered Osgiliath, and has won several victories there. However, he enjoys having power, and does not like to share it. Additionally, he became a very distant person after his wife died.
Lord Boromir: The favored son of Denethor, Boromir is also a superb Warrior and the second greatest commander in Gondor. Boromir is loved by the soldiers for his victories and courage, and unlike his Father he is very outgoing. He also travels on foot, unlike most Gondor commanders. He is fiercely loyal to Gondor and would die before failing his people. His greatest achievement so far is the conquest of Cair Andros.
Lord Faramir: The second son of Denethor, Faramir is a skilled ranger. Faramir is less appreciated by his father partially because of his love of music, lore, and women over the glories of war. Despite this Faramir is a competent leader who leads the rangers of Ithilien, hoping to one day reclaim that forest. Recently though he has followed his brother Boromir on his campaigns.
Prince Imrihil: Imrihil is the Prince of Dol Amroth, and was chosen to lead the Umbar expedition. He seems to be more than a match for the Men of Umbar is probably the third Greatest Commander in Gondor. His Knights of Dol Amroth are rightly feared by all who would fight for the Shadow, especially the Men of Umbar.
Forlong the Fat: Lord of Lossarach, Forlong is a strong commander and is Denethors most trusted general outside of the family. He crushed the peasant rebellion at Druedan Village despite being outnumbered almost 2 to 1. Additionally he was briefly Govenor of Minas Tirith.
Borthor: Gondors finest spy, he has proven his worth to Denethor and Imrihil on multiple occasions.
Curunir: Denethors most loyal bodyguard. A trusted man who saved the Stewards life.
Timeline (In Progress)
Spring TA 2980: Death of Echilon, Denethor becomes Steward.
Summer TA 2980: Denethor reconquers Osgiliath. The Orcs are utterly annialated
Autumn TA 2980: Battle of West Ithilien. Denethor crushes rebel rangers.
Spring TA 2981: Prince Imrihil begins the first Umbar expedition
Summer TA 2981: Forlong the Fat wins the battle of Druden Village
Autumn TA 2981: Prince Imrihil wins the battle of Kas Shafra and wins Gondor a town in Umbar.
Winter TA 2981-2982: Imrihil wins the battle of the Kas Shafra coast, annihilating a superior force of Haradrim.
Spring TA 2982: Lord Boromir reconqueres Cair Andros for Gondor while destroying a force of rebelious peasants and Militiamen. Steward Denethor II fights the second battle of Osgiliath, and it ends in a draw.
Summer TA 2982: Denethor wins the third battle of Osgiliath and destroys a far larger orcish host.
Chapter One: A City Retaken
I am Steward Denethor II, the ruler of Gondor, and King in all but name.
Following the recent death of my father, Steward Ecthelion II, I have been made ruler of Gondor. My ancestors and I have led Gondor for centuries, ever since the death of Eärnur, the last king, and have kept it safe. However, now times are changing. Gondor is now but a shadow of what it was in days all but forgotten. However, my goal is to restore Gondor to its former glory, and eventually take back what is rightfully ours! I may never see that day, but I know that when my time to depart comes, Gondor will be in the good hands of Boromir.
My first son Boromir wanted to lead the first invasion, but I decided I would lead it myself, since it has been too long since I have fought a battle. However, he will be my right hand man. He is certainly one of Gondors most competent Generals, and a greater Warrior than anyone who has been seen in Gondor for centuries. He can also relate to the common soldier in a way that introverts like me can only envy.
My second son Faramir is not as great a warrior as my first born, generally preferring music and woman to the glories of battle, nevertheless, though, he is a skilled archer and his rangers will prove valuable.
At Minas Tirith we had a meeting with our highest nobles and Generals to decide our next course of action. I will record the most important of it.
“Today our great nation faces a crisis. The forces of Mordor grow stronger each day, threatening our very existence. Their allies, the Haradrim, have a huge empire, and their Grand Serpent wants revenge for the great victories Gondor won against them in older days. The Corsairs of Umbar threaten our coast. The Loke-Khan to the East, though technically not our enemy right now, have fought us in the past and if he manages to conquer the Kingdom of Dale to the north, he will want more room to expand, and so will attack Gondor. To make matters worse Saruman, once the leader of the White Council, has taken our Fortress Isengard and now commands a formidable force of Uruks, meaning that at least for now we have little hope for help from Rohan. The forces of Mordor have even managed to conquer half of Osgiliath, and Ithilian has been abandoned. What course of action should we take?”
I soon heard my second son make a suggestion. “I believe we should make a stand at Minas Tirith. Its defenses are far stronger than any that still exist in Middle Earth.”
I disagreed with Faramirs suggestion. “But what of the people enslaved by Sauron at Osgiliath?”
“Father, no civilians have lived there for years.”
“That is incorrect. Borthor, give us your report. He will soon prove you wrong.”
Borthor was Gondors finest spy, who had managed to spy on Osgiliath by disguising himself as a Haradrim soldier. “My Lord, there are at least 800 people enslaved there, most of whom are loyal to you, and they would welcome us Men of Gondor liberating them.”
“Thank you, Borthor. So I say we will attack them and spare not a single orc. Any other suggestions?”
Most of the people were pleased by my plan.
Boromir brought up a good point, though. “Father, though our spirits our strong, we lack the supplies and equipment to face a prolonged War against the armies of Mordor and Harad. Therefore, I propose that we invest large amounts of our treasury in improving the training facilities, armories, and weapon supplies in Minas Tirith, Dol Amroth, and Pelargir, our three most important cities, so we can field our stronger troops” I agreed with him.
I then spoke to my brother-in-law. “Additionally, we need to deal with the threat of the barbarians of Umbar, so I entrust you, Imrihil, to deal with this threat. Build a strong cavalry force from the best men you can find, and then strike at the heart of Umbar. Then we can devote more troops to the war against Mordor. If we ignore this threat, the consequences will be dire.”
Imrihil responded “My Lord, your wish is my command. I swear your will shall be done, of I shall die trying.”
“Thank you. And you can just call me Denethor.” Imrihil is one of my favorite generals, and all others in Gondor can only call me "My Lord", except for my sons.
Then we started taking about economic problems and farming and other boring things and I nearly fell asleep. I agreed to build more roads and farms and markets in some backwater towns. Fortunately, the meeting eventually ended.
*********************
With the meeting behind me, my forces soon besieged Osgiliath. Imrihil went down south to prepare a force strong enough to damage Harad.
“Father, we should attack now.” My first son Boromir was eager to kill some orcs.
“Boromir, you are being too impetuous. The time will come, but for now, we must be happy to block of their food supplies and starve a few of them.”
“I am sure we can win-”
“And so am I, but I would rather wait a few months than take excessive losses. I would like to win a battle and be able to celebrate rather than be depressed over half the men dying.” After I said this it was dropped, and a messanger arrived telling me that Imrahil was already preparing for an attack.
Soon it was summer, and the reinforcements arrived. They consisted of two battalions of Archer Militia and one battalion of Swordsmen Militia. These men, especially the archers, would be useful, though not totally necessary. Our men outnumbered the orcs and were of far better quality of course, being Gondorians as opposed to worthless orcs, and a glorious victory was soon won.
Our forces deployed near a half-ruined building.
The main bridge has been broken down, so our troops had to cross the river, getting wet in the process, but we men of Gondor are too tough to care. My son Boromir was in the front lines.
Soon when we crossed the river, I ordered the archers to form a line while Boromir and some Swordsmen Militia would guard a minor bridge. The arrows would ether provoke the orcs and cause a foolish charge or would destroy them.
The orcs stand, taking arrows for a while. This causes quite a few deaths among the orcs!
The orcs then attack, but Orc Raiders are no match for Citadel Guard. The orcs are easily frightened.
I don’t want to miss out on the slaughter so I charge, and soon after the orcs retreat. However, some Uruk Bodyguards arrive and though they cannot win, they cause a few casualties.
In the meantime some orc archers get shot while causing minimal casualties in return.
My bodyguard and infantry soon get the upper hand and the orc General dies while trying to run away. He will not be missed, nor will any of his worthless followers.
The orc archers are even more pathetic in a melee than at range, and soon they are destroyed, barely scratching anyone.
The men of Gondor soon celebrate a great victory. And of course no one forgot about the drinks!
My diplomat who I hired is going to get map information from as many nations and tribes as he can. Soon Gondor will know more about the political situation outside our borders!
After the battle, Gondor became the largest Empire in all of Middle Earth! This will do little to stop my expansion, though!
Also my more romantic son Faramir has chosen a wife. May she bare many sons who, no doubt, will strengthen our people!
Immediately I order the construction of a library in the Eastern half of Osgiliath. However, before it is completed, my second son Faramir had bad news. He told me that some of his rangers had betrayed us and started their own small Kingdom. Well the new Kingdom of Ithilian will not survive long. Faramir also said some rangers plan to take Osgiliath! So I sent my spy to check to see if that was the case. He reported that 2 Battalions of Ithilian Rangers planned to ambush us, and they were on the border right by Osgiliath, so I decided to attack the rebels! The Militia stayed to guard Osgiliath.
My spy Borthor is right by the site of the battle.
My plan was rather simple. My rangers would attack the enemy at range and my bodyguard would be able to move unmolested. I would then charge the peasants, killing many, and then the rest of the troops would move in.
My forces deploying. Faramir and his rangers were in the front, the other unit of rangers behind him, Boromir behind the rangers, and I was in the back, though this formation would soon change.
“We’ll get there soon enough!” Citadel Guards are unable to move as fast as Rangers, as they are weighed down by their far heavier equipment. They soon fall behind.
Faramir and his rangers start shooting, though the enemies are too busy redeploying and getting killed to care.
“NOW MEN! CHARGE THE REBELS! GLORY TO GONDOR, AND DEATH TO HER ENEMIES!”
The charge is quite successful, and the enemy General soon dies. This frightens the rangers, and so does the fact that they have to fight well armored Bodyguards with their light equipment. However, I noticed one of my more clumsy bodyguards was killed by a wooden stake. Poor fool.
Soon they run, and my Bodyguard gives chase. No matter how badly they want to escape, though, they can’t outrun horses, even horses weighed down by armored Gondorians. In the meantime, my son Faramir and his rangers reach the other rangers, and the rebels soon flee!
Another victory worthy of a king!
If my luck holds, soon we will have the Witch-King, Sauron, and all their pathetic orcs at their knees! However, I mustn’t get overconfident.
Anyways after the battle I ordered my son Boromir to attack Cair Andros, for these defenses are essential for Gondors survival.
I also got a report that Imrihil is ready. Soon he will reach havoc on the Umbar coast, for Knights of Dol Amroth are the strongest Cavalry in the world!
In the meantime, a force sent by Forlong, one of my more compotent Generals, to teach some rebels a lesson of obedience, has been attacked when he besieged an enemy village. I have not received word yet of the results, but I believe if this man and his troops have talent, a glorious victory will have been won!
